Some volatile questions dogged the Boston Bruins to the doorstep of the new season:

How will they score without Marc Savard after having the worst offense in the NHL last year?

Is Tyler Seguin a game breaker?

What are they going to do with a $5 million dollar backup goalie?

Is Claude Julien still the right guy, or is Game 7 of the second round their playoff ceiling?

Is Nathan Horton just a big shot in a black-and-gold jersey, or can he channel his inner Cam Neely and reach stardom in Boston?

Is Milan Lucic going to pick up where he left off — two seasons ago?

And, last but never least in this space, where's the S.O.S. on the P.M.D. (ie. puck-moving defenseman)?

Popular questions, all of them, but the only one that should concern the 3-1 Bruins is whether they can mock their reputation for flat-lining under bright lights in tonight's home opener (7, NESN, 1420, 98.5) against a scary Capitals team they stifled on Tuesday in Washington.

"The biggest thing for us right now is not to change a thing, just keep playing the way we've been playing and the result will take care of itself," said Lucic, whose three goals tie Horton for the team lead. "There's always that temptation to put on a show for the fans and give them their money's worth, but here in Boston they just want to see a hard, gritty team go out there and work hard, play an in-your-face type of game. And that's the way we've been playing so far."

That's on the ice.

Off the ice, Bruins management has matched that resolution with patience and respect for the unknown to let things play out. If that weren't the case, winger Jordan Caron would not have made the team prior to his 20th birthday (Nov. 2), and Tim Thomas would not be leading the NHL right now in goals-against average (0.67) and save percentage (.979).

Goaltender controversy? Those should happen where are teams are losing, not winning.

Tuukka Rask played well in the season-opening 5-2 loss to Phoenix, his four-goal second period notwithstanding. But Thomas, whose opportunity came behind a more-composed team, has been outstanding — give him one, Michael Holley. His recovery of form has his detractors using one hand to scratch their heads and the other to text trade proposals to general manager Peter Chiarelli.

It's too long a season for such nonsense.

If neither Thomas nor Rask plays enough to be a Vezina Trophy finalist, they might win the Jennings Trophy together for lowest number of goals allowed by a team. Win that one and you've got a better chance of getting where you want to go than legendary workhorse Martin Brodeur has in New Jersey, where the Devils have won only one playoff series since the 2004-05 lockout.

It would appear that the Bruins are wise, albeit conventionally so, to let things play out. The salary-cap quandry that awaits when Marc Savard (concussion) and Marco Sturm (knee) return is next month's problem. In the now, the Bruins are how any NHL club would like to be.

"I think everyone's got that chip back on their shoulder," said left winger Blake Wheeler. "I think in the past we were victims of maybe trying to be too cute at home, get the oohs and aahs out of the crowd, when just working hard, playing the body and being simple, that's what they want to see."

It will take all of that and a bounce or two to hold off Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, who had won four straight before losing 3-1 in an airtight road game by Boston.

So now the Bruins play in Boston, where opening nights and Game 5's in the playoffs have not been kind. It certainly didn't go well last year when the Capitals lit up TD Garden on opening night; a 4-1 drubbing became a tone setter to an arduous road to the playoffs.

It's early, but there's a different taste in their mouths.

Blame it on Prague or a training camp retreat in Vermont, but the Bruins have found the switch and there are no signs that the pedal is coming off the metal. So look for Thomas to make his fourth straight start in goal and for Rask to get some long-awaited action on Saturday against the New York Rangers.

People are watching tonight, and not just the opponent.

Mick Colageo covers hockey for The Standard-Times. Contact him at mcolageo@s-t.com and visit www.southcoasttoday.com/rinkrap